Xylopia mildbraedii Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 444, 1915

Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Dagallier, Leo-Paul M. J., Crozier, Francoise, Ghogue, Jean-Paul, Hoekstra, Paul H., Kamdem, Narcisse G., Johnson, David M., Murray, Nancy A. & Sonke, Bonaventure, 2022, Flora of Cameroon - Annonaceae Vol 45, PhytoKeys 207, pp. 1-532 : 471-473

Xylopia mildbraedii Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 444, 1915

Fig. 148 ; Map 18D

= Xylopia lastoursvillii Pellegr., Mém. Soc. Bot. France 1949: 71, 1950. Type. Gabon. Ogooué-Lolo, région de Lastoursville, Koulamotou, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 8742, 13 Apr 1931: lectotype, designated by Johnson and Murray (2018), p. 188: P[P00169128]; isolectotypes: BM[BM000511051]; BR[BR0000008825308]; LISC[000404]; OWU; P[P00169129, P00169130]; WAG[WAG0247282, WAG0247283].

Type.

Cameroon. South Region; 45 km west of Grand Batanga , Mildbraed G.W.J. 6055, 22 Jul 1911: holotype: B[B 10 0153148]; isotypes: HBG[HBG502478, HBG502477] .

Description.

Tree up to 9 m tall, rarely a shrub, d.b.h. up to 9 cm; stilt roots and buttresses absent. Old branches glabrous, young branches pubescent with appressede hairs 0.1-0.5 mm long. Leaves: petiole 2-5 mm long, 1 mm wide, sparsely pubescent, grooved, blade inserted on the side of the petiole; blade 9.5-17.5 cm long, 3.2-5.6 cm wide, elliptic to oblong, occasionally oblanceolate or lanceolate, apex acuminate, acumen 0.8-1.9 cm long, base cuneate, papyraceous, below pubescent when young, glabrous to sparsely pubescent when old, above glabrous when young and old, discolorous but sometimes concolorous; midrib sunken, above pubescent when young and old, below pubescent when young, glabrous when old; secondary veins 12 to 20 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young foliate branches, axillary, peduncle absent. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 2 per inflorescence; pedicel 4-9 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, pubescent; in fruit 5-7 mm long, 5-7 mm in diameter, glabrous; bracts 3 to 4, evenly spaced, 2-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, basally fused, 4-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, triangular, apex acute, base truncate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petals free, subequal; outer petals 3, 45-79 mm long, 3.6-5.5 mm wide at base, linear, apex obtuse, base broad and concave, cream, pubescent outside, pubescent towards base inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 35-61 mm long, 4.9-5.4 mm wide at base, linear, apex acute, base broad and concave with a tuft of long hairs at the apex of the concavity, cream, pubescent outside, pubescent inside; stamens ca. 100, in 5 to 6 rows, 1-2 mm long, clavate to oblong; connective apex shield-like, glabrous; carpels 10 to 11, ovary 1-2 mm long, stigmas connivent, linear, 4.5-6 mm long, pubescent. Monocarps stipitate, stipe 9-15 mm long, 3-5 mm in diameter; monocarps 1 to 14, 42-65 mm long, 13-15 mm wide, oblong, apex with a curved beak ca. 1 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, verrucose and wrinkled when dried, pale green to yellowish green outside, endocarp red to pink-red; seeds 5 to 9 per monocarp, in a single row, 13-14 mm long, 7-9 mm wide, ellipsoid; sarcotesta greenish blue, greenish white, or gray; aril absent.

Distribution.

From Cameroon to Gabon; in Cameroon known from the South and Littoral regions.

Habitat.

A rare and rarely collected species; in primary and older secondary rain forest Altitude 100-520 m. a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

Vulnerable (VU) ( Cosiaux et al. 2019b a).

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

The petal length of X. mildbraedii surpasses that of all other African Xylopia species. The species most resembles X. thomsonii in overall appearance, but differs in the hairs of the young twigs which are appressed and relatively short, the pronounced tuft of hairs on the inside of the inner petal base, and the distinctly larger seeds.

Specimens examined.

Littoral Region: Foret de Bakaka 3 km E of Eboné a village on km 11 Nkongsamba-Loum Road , 4.83°N, 9.9°E, 13 September 1971, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 8362 (BR,MO,P,WAG,YA). South Region: 20 km from Kribi Lolodorf road, 3.03°N, 10.05°E, 09 June 1969, Bos J.J. 4772 (B,BR,K,LD,LM,MO,P,WAG,YA); Campo-Ma’an area Bibabimvoto, 2.25°N, 10.09°E, 01 February 2000, Elad M. 1253 (KRIBI,WAG); Beson 45 km E Kribi, 2.79°N, 10.27°E, 22 July 1911, Mildbraed G.W.J. 6055 (B,HBG) .

Figures

Map 18. A Xylopia katangensis B Xylopia letestui C Xylopia longipetala D Xylopia mildbraedii E Xylopia monticola F Xylopia paniculata G Xylopia phloiodora H Xylopia pynaertii I Xylopia quintasii. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 148. Xylopia mildbraedii A flowering branch B flower C outer petal, inner view D inner petal, inner view E detail of carpels, petals and stamens removed F stamen, front view G staminode, inner and outer whorl H carpel, side view and detail of ovules. Xylopia phloiodora I flowering branch J outer petal, inner view K inner petal, inner view L detail of carpels, petals and stamens removed M stamen, front view N staminode, inner and outer whorl O carpel, side view and detail of ovules P fruit A from Mildbread 6055 B-H from Le Testu 8742 I-P from Letouzey 5027. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b; pl. 32, p. 173).